Since the advent of computers and computer systems, a variety of software applications have been developed to allow users to generate a multitude of content and content types. Users may generate word processing documents, spreadsheet documents, slide presentation documents, notes documents, electronic mail documents (and email threads), and the like. Systems have been developed to allow users to insert comments into content items as content items are reviewed to assist in a process of revising or otherwise improving the content items. In a typical case, inserted comments are appended to the end of a content item (e.g., end of a document), or comments are exposed in a “bubble” or “pop-up” user interface component display to a side or at a bottom of the content item. In addition, where a second user provides a follow-up comment to a preceding or previous comment, the follow-up comment typically is displayed in a second user interface component and may not be readily associated with the previous or preceding comment. Such comments may be helpful, but utilization of such comments in a content item review or revision process can be cumbersome and often do not lead to efficient content review, revision and management.
In some cases, users resort to crude methods of commenting by using different text color or other markup (e.g., boldface or italics) to indicate a comment-like remark or statement in-line in a document. For example, in an electronic mail (email) thread, users often apply color, boldface, italics and the like to text inserted in a an email thread to create the look of an in-line comment for conveying a remark or other information to other users/reviewers of the email thread.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present invention has been made.